Fly smarter

Some might think it’s a crazy time to go flying round the world. Perversely, there’s never been a better time to go against the flow and get the best value out of a flight.

WideWorld spoke to two experts about their best tips:� Matt Daimler, founder of the brilliant www.SeatGuru.com� site that allows flyers to check their tickets for maximum benefits, and George Hobica, president of www.airfarewatchdog.co.uk, the one site everyone should check before buying their tickets.

Check your tech

Long haul gets boring unless you’ve got the tech. The SeatGuru website tells you whether you’ve got a laptop charging point to help you pass the time with your own computer. Check your entertainment system too: “Audio/video on demand is the newest and best, with a choice of twenty movies or so at your seat you can start and stop when you want, games, TV shows, things like that. Asian carriers have led the pack in deploying it, with only the newer planes on other carriers installing it,” Daimler advises.

Are you being served?

Every airline does food delivery in different ways but there’s no dodge to get yourself seconds – even sitting by the galley. “If anything trying to sleep near a galley can be annoying,” says Daimler. “They’re prepping for meals and clanking before the flight lands. Also the galley has a lot of light coming from it too, so it’s disturbing to sit there.”

Boarding schools

There’s two schools of thought: those who want to get on first and those who want to get off first. Unless you’re a favoured flyer, you can’t have both. Most carriers have back to front loading, so get a seat near the back if you’re the former. “Getting on first is best to get a limited number of pillows and blankets, also if you have carry on luggage and you want the overhead space.”

Box clever

Some of the newer A/V systems on the plane require big electronics, and they come with a drawback: an electrical box underneath the seat, taking up legroom. It’s not under all seats, so check to guarantee it’s not going to ruin your legroom. The SeatGuru site displays this information on its interactive seating maps.

Look for the business

“Because less people are flying, the price gap between classes is narrowing,” says....

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